In the context of the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus, wearing fabric masks is one of the methods of protection against infection. In addition, this accessory prevents the spread of the virus by an already infected person. But is this type of protection always effective and, most importantly, safe? As it turned out, no. For small children, a medical mask can be life-threatening.
We gradually add.
Of course, breast milk is the ideal food for a small child, but the baby grows, gradually turning from a small helpless baby into a strong toddler, and gradually he needs to be transferred from breast milk to the common table by one year. How to achieve this?
- The first “foreign” product your baby should try is fruit juice. Start introducing your child to it at about 3 months (usually in our climate they start with apple). The first time, give a few drops, making sure to monitor its reaction: if no allergic rash appears on the skin and the stool is normal, then the next day you can give 1/2 teaspoon of juice, on the third - 1 tsp. etc., gradually increasing to 30 ml per day. How much juice can you give per day?
The formula is very simple: we multiply the number of months the child has turned by 10 (for example, a 5-month-old child can be given approximately 50 ml of juice per day). Offer it between feedings. - The second new product that should be offered to the baby 2-3 weeks after the introduction of juice will be fruit puree (start with those fruits that are dim in color and rarely cause allergic reactions, for example, green varieties of apples, bananas, etc.) Now a very large selection of industrially produced baby food - try everything gradually. At 3 months, a baby can eat 5-10 g of fruit puree per day, at 6 months 50-60 g, and at the age of one year 90-100 g. It should be noted that fruit puree, like juice, is not included in the main volume nutrition, so you can give it between feedings.
- Next, a very important change will occur - one of the breastfeedings should be replaced with vegetable puree at approximately 4.5-5 months. Vegetables should be cooked in water, lightly salting them and adding a few drops of vegetable oil. You should start with easily digestible vegetables - pumpkin, zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, potatoes, and then beets, cabbage, etc. The same principle of “gradual introduction” applies - first you give the baby 1 tsp. vegetable puree, then breastfeed. The next day - 2 tsp, then breastfeed. On the third day - 3-4 tsp. etc. Thus, one of the breastfeedings will be replaced by vegetable feeding. At 4-5 months you can give your child cottage cheese 10-20 g per day. You can prepare it yourself from kefir. It is necessary to heat the kefir in a water bath and, when it curdles, strain through sterile gauze - you will get the most delicate curd that can be offered to your child along with fruit puree.
- At the age of 5-5.5 months, when the child finally gets used to vegetables, you can accustom him to porridge in the same way. You can use dry cereals, which are diluted immediately before consumption, or you can cook them yourself using low-fat cow's milk (2.5-3.2%). If your baby is allergic to cow's milk protein, you can cook it with goat milk or water. First, within one week, you need to accustom your child to 5% porridge (that is, you add 2 tsp of cereal per glass of milk), and then, if tolerated well, you can switch to 10% (4 tsp per glass of milk). . cereals). Cook the porridge in the same way as for yourself - add 1 tsp. sugar (you can use honey or fruit decoction, fructose), add 3-5 g of butter 1 minute before readiness so that it has time to boil. What cereals are suitable for children in their first year of life?
Rolled oats are considered the lightest, followed by rice and buckwheat. Older people can be offered porridge made from corn flour. Young children should not cook semolina porridge - despite its high calorie content, it does not contain vitamins and minerals, and more often than others causes allergic reactions. - At 6 months you can start giving your baby chicken yolk, starting with 1/4 2 times a week. It can either be added to vegetables or diluted with breast milk.
- Meat is introduced into the baby’s diet at 6-7 months, it is mixed with vegetable puree. Start with 5-10 g per day, gradually increasing to 60-70 g per day per year. It is useful to give lean pork, rabbit, turkey, chicken (if there is no allergy), beef. You can use ready-made puree, or you can cook the meat yourself, then grind it through a meat grinder 3 times. So, the nutrition of a 6-month-old baby differs significantly from the nutrition of a newborn. Here is a sample menu for a 6-7 month old baby:
6.00 - breast milk 10.00 - milk porridge 150 g cottage cheese 10-20 g fruit puree 30-50 g 14.00 - breast milk 15.00 - vegetable puree 150 g meat 10 g juice 60 ml (or 2 times a day 30 ml) 22.00 - breast milk - Further, at 7-8 months, another feeding with breast milk should also be gradually replaced by feeding with kefir or other fermented milk products. If the child already has teeth, you can offer him a cracker or unsweetened cookie along with kefir.
- An 8-month-old baby can be gradually introduced to low-fat meat broth, adding it to vegetables (soup is obtained). At this age, feeding vegetables with meat + broth can be moved to lunch hours, and kefir with cookies can be offered at the penultimate feeding as an afternoon snack. Sample menu for an 8-9 month old baby:
6.00 - breast milk 10.00 - porridge 150-200 g cottage cheese 30-40 g juice 50 ml 14.00 - vegetable puree 120-150 g meat 30-40 g broth 20-30 g juice 40 ml 18.00 - kefir 200 ml cookies 5-10 g 22.00 - breast milk - Fish - it can replace meat 1-2 times a week, starting from 10 months of age. Choose varieties that contain a minimum of bones and cook it thoroughly. At the age of 9-12 months, breast milk can be gradually replaced with cow's milk (or goat's milk if the child has intolerance to cow's milk proteins).
Honey for children: at what age is it allowed?
Each parent seeks the answer to this question independently. Someone is not sure whether honey can be given to a one-month-old baby. Others use it as a nutritional supplement, diluting it in a bottle with breast milk or a special formula.
Interesting fact: there is a kind of “life hack” among people that helps new mothers accustom their child to a pacifier. Simply dip it lightly in bee nectar. An infant simply cannot help but like honey due to its sweet taste - and he begins to suck on the pacifier much more willingly.
It is not recommended to give honey to children under one year of age. The reason for this is possible manifestations of allergies. A one-year-old child can use honey in small quantities, but if discomfort occurs, he simply will not be able to tell you about it. Another reason is botulism spores, which can be hidden in pollen. For an adult, their dose is negligibly small and harmless, but can cause harm to a baby under 1 year of age.
If you still decide to let your baby try a treat, start complementary feeding by lightly coating the gums or letting him lick the spoon. Next, carefully monitor your baby’s reaction. A more reliable safety net involves a visit to the doctor and a preliminary examination.
Honey can be given to a child aged 2-3 years in larger quantities. If you are sure that your baby does not have an allergic reaction to a natural product, it will be an excellent replacement for pharmaceutical vitamins, antiviral drugs and cough suppressants. In addition, it will help strengthen the immune system, increase energy levels, speed up metabolism, etc.
You can purchase honey directly from our apiary “Sviy honey”:
What harm can chocolate do to a child?
Excessive consumption of chocolate can negatively affect a child's health. Behavioral disorders and tooth decay are the most minor troubles that can occur. Much worse are allergies, diathesis, headaches, insomnia. Due to an excessive love for chocolate, more serious diseases can develop: metabolic disorders, diabetes. The liver and pancreas may malfunction. Gastritis develops. These diseases cannot be cured overnight; sometimes they accompany a person throughout his life. And the reason is eating chocolate without restrictions during childhood. So, maybe we should listen to the voice of reason and not give chocolate to children thoughtlessly?
What to eat with gastritis
What and when to give to a child under one year old
The baby is growing up, and it’s time to start expanding his menu and letting him try something new. And you always want to feed him something tasty and healthy. Usually pediatricians tell everything about nutrition, but sometimes even they have different opinions.
Therefore, the site for mothers supermams.ru will tell you what child’s behavior in matters of nutrition corresponds to each age, and what you can try to give depending on the age of the baby.
There are two opinions regarding the introduction of complementary foods. Some advise starting at 6 months, others - earlier. This usually depends on what type of feeding the baby is on. Moreover, sometimes the child’s behavior indicates readiness for complementary feeding. For example, he starts looking at your plate like a hungry wolf cub